PERSIMMON  , the name given to the fruits of Diospyros virginiana in the

United States . The tree which bears them belongs to the order Ebenaceae, is usually from 30 to 50 ft. in height, and has oval entire leaves, and unisexual flowers on short stalks . In the male flowers, which are numerous, the stamens are sixteen in number and arranged in pairs; the female flowers are solitary, with traces of stamens, and a smooth ovary with one ovule in each of the eight cells—the ovary is surmounted by four styles, which are hairy at the base . The fruit-stalk is very short, bearing a subglobose fruit an inch or rather more in diameter, of an orange-yellow colour, and with a sweetish astringent pulp . It is surrounded at the base by the persistent calyx-lobes, which increase in size as the fruit ripens . The astringency renders the fruit somewhat unpalatable, but after it has been subjected to the action of frost, or has become partially rotted or " bletted " like a medlar, its flavour is improved . The fruit is eaten in great quantities in the southern states of America, and is also fermented with hops, corn-meal or wheat-bran into a sort of beer or made into brandy . The wood is heavy, strong and very close-grained and used in turnery . The tree is very common in the South Atlantic and Gulf states, and attains its largest size in the basin of the Mississippi . It was brought to England before 1629 and is cultivated, but rarely if ever ripens its fruit . It is easily raised from seed and can also be propagated from stolons, which are often produced in great quantity . The Chinese and Japanese cultivate another species, the Diospyros Kaki, of which there exist numerous ill-defined varieties .

The fruits are larger than those of the

American kind, variable in shape, but have similar properties . An astringent fluid, known as shibu, rich ,in tannin, is expressed from the green fruit and used in various industries . The tree is hardy in the south of England and in the Channel Islands .